This invention relates generally to telecommunications devices and more particularly to a device which indicates who within a select group are available to receive telephone calls.
A need has been identified in the prior art for a service which will provide people a control over their telephone service to permit work or relaxation without the normal interruptions caused by a ringing telephone. In recent years do-not-disturb services have become available. The basic feature of these services, is that a caller will receive a message from the call recipient""s telephone that the recipient is not available for calls or is not available for calls until a certain time.
While effective to some extent, the prior art telephone screening services do not discern among groups of people, e.g., telemarketers, general public, family groups, friends, business associates, and the like. While the call recipient might wish to block out all telemarketing calls and general public calls after a certain time, the call recipient may wish to receive calls from a family group anytime, and from friends during time periods different than those from the family group and/or telemarketers and/or general public calls.
The present invention addresses the above problems by providing an apparatus which indicates to other callers within a select group a call recipient availability to receive telephone calls. The instant invention provides a caller identification availability apparatus located adjacent a caller""s telephone and indicates who, among a select group of people, are available to receive telephone calls. Each caller within a select group has a caller identification availability apparatus adjacent their telephone. Caller""s within the group are able to indicate availability or nonavailability to each caller within the group by means of their individual apparatus.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed hereto and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of the invention.